Devices for brewing and/or steeping tea

ABSTRACT

Shown are devices and methods for brewing and steeping tea. The devices and methods for brewing and steeping tea utilize steam, heated liquid, agitation, and recirculation.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C.§119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/953,297, filed onMar. 14, 2014, the content of which is incorporated herein by referencein its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The field of the invention relates to devices and methods for brewingand/or steeping tea. In particular, the field of the invention relatesto devices and methods for brewing and steeping tea that include and/orutilize steam, heated liquid, agitation, and recirculation.

Methods for brewing and steeping tea are known in the art. (See, e.g.,GB1069923A; CA2152385A1; AU685073B2; U.S. Pat. No. 6,220,147B1; U.S.Pat. No. 6,488,976B1; GB2386543A; U.S. Pat. No. 6,915,732B2;JP03714800B2; U.S. Pat. No. 6,988,641B2; U.S. 20070059819A1; CA2371404C;U.S. Pat. No. 7,351,576B1; EP1337171B1; U.S. Pat. No. 7,757,600B2; U.S.20110068118A1; CN101516240B; JP2011130767A; WO 2012024265A1; U.S.20120100275A1; WO 2012088719A1; U.S. 20120186456A1; U.S. Pat. No.8,534,186B2, the contents of which are incorporated herein by referencein their entireties). However, conventional methods of brewing andsteeping tea are manually intensive and time consuming. New devices andmethods for brewing and steeping tea that are less manually intensiveand time consuming are desirable. Preferably, these devices and methodsshould provide tea that has similar or superior quality based on color,aroma, taste, and strength as tea that has been brewed and steeped byconvention methods. These devices and methods should also provide a userwith options to add various flavors such as spices and extracts ifdesired.

SUMMARY

Disclosed are devices and methods for brewing and/or steeping tea. Insome embodiments, the devices may include: (a) a tea container; (b) anagitator; (c) a pump; and (d) a line connecting the tea container andthe pump for recirculating tea from the tea container back into the teacontainer, where the line includes a dispensing outlet for removing teafrom the device. Typically, the container includes: (i) a lid(optionally including a handle for removing the lid from the container);(ii) a strainer (e.g., for holding tea leaves and for straining and/orfiltering the tea); (iii) a steam inlet for introducing steam into thecontainer (optionally positioned in the lid of the container andoptionally including a valve operated by a lever for controlling flow ofsteam into the container); (iv) a liquid inlet (e.g., for introducingwater into the container, optionally positioned in the lid of thecontainer and optionally including a valve operated by a lever forcontrolling flow of water into the container); optionally, (v) arecirculation inlet for receiving recirculated tea from the teacontainer. Optionally, the container includes an outlet for removingstrained tea from the tea container (e.g., from the top or the bottom ofthe tea container). The pump is configured for recirculating tea fromthe container back to the container. The pump typically includes: (i) apomp inlet for receiving strained tea from the container; and (ii) apump outlet for returning recirculated tea into the container throughthe recirculation inlet. In some embodiments of the devices and methods,the direction of recirculation may be reversed.

In some embodiments, the device may include a heating element thatextends into the container and a control unit for controlling heat thatis provided by the heating element. In further embodiments, the liquidbeing introduced through the liquid inlet is heated liquid and thedevice further includes a heating element for heating the liquid priorto the liquid being introduced through the liquid inlet and a controldevice for controlling heat that is provided by the heating element. Thecontrol device for controlling heat that is provided by the heatingelement may include a lever for adjusting the temperature of the heatingelement.

In some embodiments, the dispensing outlet of the device includes adispensing valve. The dispensing valve may include a lever for openingand closing the valve.

In some embodiments, the container comprises transparent polymeric orglass material. For example, the container may be transparent such thatan operator can observe the color of the tea as the tea is brewingand/or steeping.

The pump is configured for recirculating tea from the container backinto the container. As such, the pump recirculates tea from an outlet ofthe tea container (e.g., a strained tea outlet that may be positioned atthe top of the bottom of the tea container) to the recirculation inletof the tea container, which may be positioned at the top of the bottomof the tea container. The pump typically is connected to the teacontainer via one or more lines extending from a outlet of the teacontainer (e.g. a strained tea outlet) to an inlet of the pump (e.g., aninlet for receiving strained tea) and/or from an outlet of the pump toan inlet of the tea container (e.g., a recirculation inlet). As such,the tea container and the pump optionally may be connected via a firstline extending from a strained tea outlet of the tea container to aninlet of the pump for receiving strained tea. The tea container and thepump optionally further may be connected via a second line extendingfrom an outlet of the pump to a recirculation inlet of the teacontainer. Optionally, the pump may be a positively displacement pump.

The agitator of the device is configured for agitating the contents ofthe container. In some embodiments, the agitator is anelectro-mechanical agitator or electro-mechanical stirrer (optionallylocated on the lid of the container) which is controlled by an actuator(optionally located on the lid of the container). In some embodiments,the agitator is controlled by an electric motor and a gear/linkage/CAMmechanism located on the lid or located remotely. In some embodiments,the contents of the tea container are agitated by introducingpressurized air and/or steam into the tea container. In someembodiments, agitation of the contents of the tea container is achievedindirectly via external agitation of the tea container.

Optionally, the brewing/steeping device may include one or more LEDs. Insome embodiments, the brewing/steeping device includes or utilizes asignal to indicate when the tea is steeping, brewing, and/or ready fordispensing. Suitable signals may include, but are not limited to, an LEDthat changes color, or a digital, mechanical, or electro-mechanicalpointer indicating that a step of steeping and/or brewing is occurringand/or completed and/or that the tea is ready for dispensing.

Optionally, the brewing/steeping device may be remotely activated and/ormonitored, for example, via a mobile communication device (e.g., mobilephones, pads, tablets, and the like), where the mobile communicationdevice may send a signal to the brewing/steeping device to start and/orstop brewing and/or steeping, and/or the brewing/steeping device maysend a signal to the mobile device to indicate that brewing and/orsteeping has begun and/or is complete and that the tea is ready fordispensing. Accordingly, the brewing/steeping device further may includea transmitter for sending the signal to the mobile communication deviceand/or a receiver for receiving a signal from the mobile communicationdevice. As such, also contemplated herein are computer applications fora mobile communication device that may be loaded unto the mobilecommunication device and then utilized for communicating with and/orcontrolling the brewing/steeping devices disclosed herein.

Optionally, the brewing/steeping device may include a touch screendevice. For example, a user may utilize the touch screen to provide aninput to the brewing/steeping device in which the user selects criteria,including but not limited to, type of tea, brewing/steeping temperature,brewing/steeping time, and volume of product dispensed.

Also disclosed are methods for brewing and/or steeping tea. In someembodiments, the methods utilize the devices disclosed herein andinclude the following steps: (a) introducing tea leaves into thecontainer; (b) closing the lid; (c) introducing steam into thecontainer; (d) introducing liquid into the container (e.g., hot water);(e) agitating the contents of the container; (f) recirculating teathrough the device; and (g) dispensing tea from the dispensing outlet.The methods further may include introducing steam subsequent to step(d), for example, in order to modulate the temperature inside thecontainer. In other embodiments, the device further comprises a heatingelement extending into the container and the method further comprisesheating the liquid in the container after step (d) by actuating theheating element, for example, in order to control the temperature insidethe container. Where the device includes an LED that changes color orprovides another type of indication to indicate when the tea issteeping, brewing, or ready for dispensing, the methods may includeperforming any steps of the method (a)-(g) before, during, or after theLED changes color or provides another type of indication.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 provides an isomeric view of one embodiment of a device ascontemplated herein.

FIG. 2 provides a front view of one embodiment of a device ascontemplated herein.

FIG. 3 provides a cross-sectional view of the device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of another embodiment of a deviceas contemplated herein.

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of another embodiment of a deviceas contemplated herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Disclosed are devices and methods for brewing and/or steeping tea. Thedisclosed devices and methods for brewing and/or steeping tea furthermay be described by the following definitions and figures.

Unless otherwise noted, the terms used herein are to be understoodaccording to conventional usage by those of ordinary skill in therelevant art. In addition to the definitions of terms provided below, itis to be understood that as used in the specification, embodiments, andin the claims, “a”, “an”, or “the” can mean one or more, depending uponthe context in which it is used. For example, “an element” should beinterpreted to mean “one or more elements,” depending upon the contextin which it is used.

As used herein, “about”, “approximately,” “substantially,” and“significantly” will be understood by persons of ordinary skill in theart and will vary to some extent on the context in which they are used.If there are uses of the term which are not clear to persons of ordinaryskill in the art given the context in which it is used, “about” and“approximately” will mean plus or minus ≦10% of the particular term and“substantially” and “significantly” will mean plus or minus >10% of theparticular term, unless defined as otherwise herein.

As used herein, the terms “include” and “including” have the samemeaning as the terms “comprise” and “comprising.” For example, “a methodthat includes a step” should be interpreted to mean “a method thatcomprises a step.” The terms “comprise” and “comprising” should beinterpreted as being “open” transitional terms that permit the inclusionof additional components further to those components recited in theclaims. The terms “consist” and “consisting of” should be interpreted asbeing “closed” transitional terms that do not permit the inclusion ofadditional components other than the components recited in the claims.The term “consisting essentially of” should be interpreted to bepartially closed and permitting the inclusion only of additionalcomponents that do not fundamentally alter the nature of the claimedsubject matter.

The devices and methods disclosed herein may be utilized to brew and/orsteep a selected tea in less time compared to conventional methods. Theteas thus brewed and/or steep have a quality, based on color, aroma,taste, and/or strength, which is similar or superior to tea brewed byconventional methods. The devices typically perform and the methodstypically include steps such as steaming, steeping, agitation,recirculation and/or any combination of these steps.

The devices may include manual and/or electromechanical components. Forexample, the devices may include heating elements and control systems toprovide user-selectable liquid temperature, which may be continuouslyadjustable. The devices may include aesthetic features. For example, thedevices may be at least partially made of transparent material so thatconsumers may watch as their beverage is being prepared.

Because different types of teas require different brewing and/orsteeping temperatures and brew and/or steep times, the disclosed devicesare configured to provide precise brewing and/or steeping temperaturesand brew and/or steep times for selected types of teas. For example,suggested brewing/steeping temperature and times may be as follows:black tea—98°, 3.5 min; green tea—79°, 2.5 min; white tea—77°, 3.5 min;and oolong tea—89°, 3 min. The devices also are configured to provideconsistency in color (e.g., via spectrophotometer), aroma, flavor,texture, pH (e.g., via pH meter), and total dissolved solids (TDS)(e.g., via TDS/ppm meter) at the dispenser outlet of the device for anyselected type of tea. The disclosed devices and methods may beprogrammable in such that multiple varieties of teas may be brewedand/or steeped concurrently.

The disclosed devices and methods may be utilized to brew and steep teain less time than compared to conventional methods, while stillproviding tea having acceptable or superior quality, for example basedon color, aroma, taste, and/or strength. The disclosed devices andmethods may be utilized in commercial or retail settings, whereconventional brewing and/or steeping methods may require too much timefor practical use.

The disclosed methods may include steps as follows; (1) place tea leavesinto the strainer of the container and close the lid of the container;(2) pass steam into the container such that the tea leaves absorbmoisture and become loose; (3) pass hot liquid into the container at aselected temperature and quantity; (4) agitate the contents of thecontainer using an electro-mechanical actuator or via a mechanicaldevice; (5) recirculate the tea using the pump; optionally (6) introduceheat either through additional steam or through a heating element insidethe container to maintain a selected temperature; optionally (7) monitoran LED light that changes color or provides another type of indicationas various steps of the method are performed or completed; (8) dispensethe tea using a dispenser outlet having an on/off valve which may beoperated manually or automatically; optionally (9) cleaning andsanitizing the device after every cycle or selected time period usingmanual and/or automatic cleaning and sanitizing methods.

The disclosed devices may be capable of dispensing multiple flavors oftea. The tea may be customized, for example where the device may beutilized to dispense “light” tea and/or “strong” tea, for example basedon color, taste, and/or aroma.

Referring now to the figures, FIG. 1 provides a perspective view of oneembodiment of a device as contemplated herein. FIG. 2 provides a frontview of one embodiment of a device as contemplated herein, and FIG. 3provides a cross-sectional view of the device of FIG. 1. As illustrated,the device 2 may include: (a) a tea container 4; (b) an agitator 20; (c)a pump 22; and (d) a line 28 connecting the container 4 and the pump 22for recirculating tea from the container back into the container (seearrows), where the line includes a dispensing outlet for removing teafrom the device 30. In some embodiments, recirculation may bebi-directional (i.e., in the direction of the illustrated arrows and/orin the reverse direction).

Typically, the container 4 includes: (i) a lid 6 (optionally including ahandle 38 for removing the lid 6 from the container 4); (ii) a strainer8 for holding tea leaves and/or for straining and/or filtering tea;(iii) a steam inlet 12 for introducing steam into the container(optionally positioned in the lid 6 of the container and optionallyincluding a valve 40 operated by a lever 40 a for controlling flow ofsteam into the container 4); (iv) a liquid inlet 14 for introducingliquid such as liquid into the container (optionally positioned in thelid 6 of the container and optionally including a valve 42 operated by alever 42 a for controlling flow of liquid into the container); (v) astrained tea outlet 16 for removing strained tea from the container; and(vi) a recirculation inlet 18 for receiving recirculated tea from thestrained tea outlet 16. The pump 22 is configured for recirculating teafrom the container back to the container. The pump typically includes:(i) a pump inlet 24 for receiving strained tea from the strained teaoutlet of the container; and (ii) a pump outlet 26 for returningrecirculated tea into the container through the recirculation inlet 18.

In some embodiments, the device may include a heating element 32 thatextends into the container 4 and a control unit for controlling heatthat is provided by the heating element 32. In further embodiments, theliquid being introduced through the liquid inlet is heated liquid andthe device further includes a heating element for heating the liquidprior to the liquid being introduced through the liquid inlet and acontrol device for controlling heat that is provided by the heatingelement. The control device for controlling heat that is provided by theheating element may include a lever for adjusting the temperature of theheating element.

In some embodiments, the dispensing outlet 30 of the device includes adispensing valve 34. The dispensing valve 34 may include a lever 34 afor opening and closing the valve.

In some embodiments, the container 4 comprises transparent polymeric orglass material. For example, the container 4 may be transparent suchthat the color of the tea can be observed as the tea is brewing and/orsteeping.

The pump 22 is configured for recirculating tea from the container backinto the container. As such, the pump recirculates tea from the pumpoutlet 26 to the recirculation inlet 18 of the container, which may beconnected by a line 36. In some embodiments, the direction ofrecirculation may be reversed. Optionally, the pump 22 may be apositively displacement pump.

The agitator 20 of the device is configured for agitating the contentsof the tea. In the disclosed embodiments, the agitator 20 is anelectro-mechanical agitator which is controlled by an actuator 20 a.

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of another embodiment of a device2 as contemplated herein. In FIG. 4, the steam inlet 12 and liquid inlet14 are positioned in the container 4 rather than in the lid 6, as inFIGS. 1-3. The tea leaves are placed on top of the strainer 8 andstrained tea exits through the strainer 8 and the strained tea outlet 16to the pump 22. The strained tea may be recirculated to therecirculation inlet 18 of the container 4 or may be dispensed throughthe dispensing outlet 30 via the dispensing valve 34 and lever 34 a. Theagitator 20 effects vertical agitation as indicated by double-headedvertical arrow. The lid 6 includes an LED 50 that provides an indicationwhen brewing and/or steeping is occurring and/or when brewing and/orsteeping is/are complete.

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of another embodiment of a device2 as contemplated herein. The device may include multiple visible waterchambers 104 that store water heated to different temperatures (e.g.,for brewing different types of teas). As illustrated in FIG. 5, thedevice 2 also may include ornamental and/or utility features forcontrolling temperature of brewing and/or steeping and/or controllingdispensing which resemble the controlling levers utilized in ships 102 aand 102 b. One lever may be utilized to control temperature 102 a, andanother lever may be utilized to control dispensing 102 b. A user maypull the lever utilized to control temperature 102 a, and rotate thelever 102 a from a vertical position to a horizontal position to anindication marker 106 in order to designate the appropriate temperaturefor a selected type of tea. For example, the highest temperature may beselected when the lever 102 a is rotated from a vertical position to themost distant position from vertical (e.g., horizontal). Heated water ofthe designated temperature will then flow into the corresponding waterchamber 104 of the device. The other handle of the device 102 b may beutilized to control flow rate at which tea is dispensed. A user may pullthe lever utilized to control flow rate 102 b, and rotate the lever 102b from a vertical position to a horizontal position to an indicationmarker 106 in order to designate the appropriate flow rate. For example,the highest flow rate may be selected when the lever 102 b is rotatedfrom a vertical position to the most distant position from vertical(e.g., horizontal).

In the foregoing description, it will be readily apparent to one skilledin the art that varying substitutions and modifications may be made tothe invention disclosed herein without departing from the scope andspirit of the invention. The invention illustratively described hereinsuitably may be practiced in the absence of any element or elements,limitation or limitations which is not specifically disclosed herein.The terms and expressions which have been employed are used as terms ofdescription and not of limitation, and there is no intention that in theuse of such terms and expressions of excluding any equivalents of thefeatures shown and described or portions thereof, but it is recognizedthat various modifications are possible within the scope of theinvention. Thus, it should be understood that although the presentinvention has been illustrated by specific embodiments and optionalfeatures, modification and/or variation of the concepts herein disclosedmay be resorted to by those skilled in the art, and that suchmodifications and variations are considered to be within the scope ofthis invention.

Citations to a number of patent and non-patent references may be madeherein. The cited references are incorporated by reference herein intheir entireties. In the event that there is an inconsistency between adefinition of a term in the specification as compared to a definition ofthe term in a cited reference, the term should be interpreted based onthe definition in the specification.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device for brewing tea, the device comprising:(a) a tea container, the container comprising: (i) a lid; (ii) astrainer for straining and/or filtering tea; (iii) a steam inlet forintroducing steam into the container (iv) a liquid inlet for introducingliquid into the container; (v) an outlet for removing strained tea fromthe container; and (vi) a recirculation inlet for receiving recirculatedtea from the strained tea outlet; (b) an agitator for agitating thecontents of the container; (c) a pump comprising: (i) a pump inlet forreceiving strained tea from the strained tea outlet of the container;and (ii) a pump outlet for returning recirculated tea into the containerthrough the recirculation inlet; and (d) a line connecting the strainedtea outlet of the container and the pump inlet of the pump, the linecomprising a dispensing outlet for dispensing brewed tea.
 2. The deviceof claim 1, wherein the steam inlet and the liquid inlet are positionedin the lid.
 3. The device of claim 1, further comprising a heatingelement extending into the container.
 4. The device of claim 3, furthercomprising a control unit for the heating element.
 5. The device ofclaim 1, further comprising a heating element for heating the liquidprior to the liquid being introduced through the liquid inlet.
 6. Thedevice of claim 5, further comprising a control device for the heatingelement.
 7. The device of claim 6, wherein the control device comprisesa lever, dial, knob, slider, or other user interface for adjusting thetemperature of the heating element.
 8. The device of claim 1, whereinthe dispensing outlet comprises a dispensing valve that is operated by alever for opening and closing the valve.
 9. The device of claim 1,wherein the container comprises transparent polymeric and/or glassmaterial.
 10. The device of claim 1, further comprising a second lineconnecting the pump outlet of the pump and the recirculation inlet ofthe container.
 11. The device of claim 1, wherein the agitator is anelectro-mechanical agitator.
 12. The device of claim 1, furthercomprising a signal to indicate when the tea is steeping, brewing, orready for dispensing.
 13. The device of claim 12, wherein the signal isan LED that changes color, or a digital, mechanical, orelectro-mechanical pointer.
 14. The device of claim 1, wherein the pumpis a positive displacement pump.
 15. The device of claim 1, wherein thelid further comprises a handle or other ergonomic device for removingthe lid from the container.
 16. The device of claim 1, wherein thedevice further includes a transmitter for sending a signal to a mobilecommunication device and/or a receiver for receiving a signal from amobile communication device.
 17. The device of claim 16, wherein thesignal transmitted to the mobile communication device informs the mobilecommunication device that brewing and/or steeping has begun and/or iscomplete.
 18. The device of claim 16, wherein the signal received fromthe mobile communication device informs the brewing/steeping device tobegin and/or stop brewing and/or steeping.